Saturday, March 5, 2011

Crossing Borders

About a month ago, I submitted application essays to the 2011 International Student Week in Ilmenau (ISWI) which will be held on May 13-22, 2011 in Germany. The ISWI is a conference for students organized by students and takes place every two years since 1993. During the 10 days of ISWI, young people from all over the world with different cultural backgrounds will get to know each other and share their points of view. The purpose of the intercultural dialogue is to improve tolerance and open-mindedness among guests and local people. This year’s topic is Freedom in relation to the motto “Crossing Borders”.[1]

I am not sure what it was in my essay (perhaps the use of the “councilor card” or it could have been the mention of Matt Damon) but I am fortunate that my application has been approved. More than that, I am lucky that I live in times when territorial boundaries are blurred by the Internet and information can easily be available. Invitations to these international events, job openings and scholarships do not arrive at your doorsteps as easily now as compared before. Opportunities overseas are now accessible to students and job hunters alike.

Before, I would have hesitated on submitting applications since I was not that confident about my credentials. But now, I realized that aside from a couple of hours and some creative juices, there is nothing to lose. Submitting those essay applications is practically free. It is just a matter of seizing the opportunity.

-Evangelista, Emmanuel Benedict C. (Blog Entry No. 14)


[1] www.iswi.org

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